Yes, I think that's it -- biting as a way of passing on an infection, springing from a period when infection itself was imperfectly understood. They surely must have seen the result of being bitten by a rabid dog. Magnify the dog into a wolf, and you have a dangerous night prowler whose bite leaves the victim, well, contaminated. And some bats do suck blood. I once read that periods of vampirism -- that is, belief in vampires -- coincided historically with outbreaks of cholera. Some cholera victims were thought dead when they were only in a coma and were buried alive. Somebody coming out of a coma and finding himself in a coffin would do his damnedest to fight his way out, and evidently enough of them succeeded to fuel the legend of the dead-but-not-dead. (I don't know when the term "undead" came into use, but I suspect that's a modern addition.) So I guess if Dracula hadn't brushed his teeth for a while, he could very well pass along an infection.

And you probably never will, Chris. Martin Greenberg, the editor, once told John DeChancie (a friend and fellow writer) that he was in the remainder business. He'd put together an anthology as quickly as he could; a small number would sell, but mostly the books would be discounted to libraries. Whatever was left would quickly go on the remainders tables in bookstores and everybody is happy: the writers earn a little money, the publishers make a little money, and the readers get to buy the books at half price. Not quite like straight-to-video movies, but close. Not all of Marty's anthologies are assembled for quick remaindering -- hardbacks, the Cat Crimes series, etc. sell pretty well. But almost all of the paperback anthologies are not long for this world.